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UMZILA’S  KINGDOM: 


A  FIELD  FOR  CHRISTIAN  MISSIONS. 

rKa. 


BOSTON : 

AMERICAN  BOARD  OF  COMMISSIONERS  FOR  FOREIGN  MISSIONS. 

1880. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2018  with  funding  from 
Columbia  University  Libraries 


https://archive.org/details/umzilaskingdomfiOOmean 


W.R.FISH  PHO.TO-  ENG.  BOSTON. 


UMZILA’S  KINGDOM: 


A  FIELD  FOR  CHRISTIAN  MISSIONS. 


BOSTON: 

AMERICAN  BOARD  OF  COMMISSIONERS  FOR  FOREIGN  MISSIONS. 

1880. 


NOTE. 


A  riONEER  company  is  about  leaving  America  for  exploration  and 
the  establishment  of  mission  stations  in  that  portion  of  Southeastern  Africa 
known  as  Umzila’s  kingdom.  Very  little  has  been  published  about  this 
region,  and  that  little  is  inaccessible  to  most  even  of  our  missionaries, 
and  to  those  who  endeavor  to  keep  themselves  well-informed  upon 
such  matters ;  it  must  be  picked  out  here  and  there  from  volumes 
not  at  every  one’s  hand ;  from  reports  of  learned  societies,  and  pro¬ 
vincial  periodicals.  For  those  who  are  to  take  part  in  this  work  and 
have  direction  of  it,  and  for  the  large  number  now  becoming  inter¬ 
ested  in  all  movements  in  the  evangelization  of  Africa,  this  compilation 
is  made. 

JOHN  O.  MEANS. 


May,  1880. 


UMZILA’S  KINGDOM. 


Among  the  regions  in  Central  Africa  proposed  for  mission¬ 
ary  operations  at  the  meeting  of  the  American  Board  at  Syra¬ 
cuse,  October  8,  1879,  was  one  “known  of  old  as  Monomotapa, 
now  the  kingdom  of  Umzila.”  “Natal,”  it  was  said,  “is  not  far 
distant,  and  the  mission  there  could  be  helpful  in  this  region. 
Indeed,  it  may  seem  best  to  expand  the  Natal  mission  and  extend 
it  up  to  this  neighborhood,  instead  of  making  Gorongoso  a  new 
and  special  Central  African  mission.” 

The  Prudential  Committee  has  decided  to  take  this  latter 
course.  While  endeavoring  to  penetrate  Central  Africa  on  the 
West  through  Benguela  to  Bihe,  on  the  southeastern  side  of  the 
continent  it  is  proposed  to  work  up  towards  the  lower  Zambesi 
through  the  vast  and  inviting  territory  of  Umzila,  as  yet  unoc¬ 
cupied  by  Christian  teachers.  This  movement,  though  of  mag¬ 
nitude  and  importance  sufficient  to  be  independent  if  need  be, 
is  to  have  such  intimate  relation  to  the  Natal-Zulu  mission 
of  the  American  Board,  that  it  may  be  wisely  constituted  and 
considered  as  an  expansion  of  that  Zulu  mission.  This  it  is  to 
be  for  the  present. 

WHERE  THE  REGION  IS. 

Umzila  is  paramount  ruler  of  the  region,  in  Southeastern 
Africa,  which  has  for  its  northern  boundary  the  lower  Zam¬ 
besi  River,  and  for  its  southern  boundary  the  Umcomasi  or 
St.  George’s  River,  which  empties  into  the  Indian  Ocean  at  Del- 
agoa  Bay.  The  coast  line  exceeds  six  hundred  miles  in  length. 
The  British  claim  South  Africa  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  to 


4 


Umzila' s  Kingdom. 


Delagoa  Bay ;  the  Portuguese  claim  from  this  bay  to  the  Zam¬ 
besi  and  beyond  to  Cape  Delgardo.  The  authority  of  the  Port¬ 
uguese  is  not  recognized  except  along  the  narrow  strip  of  sea¬ 
shore.  Over  the  inland  territory,  called  the  Gasa  country,  stretch¬ 
ing  from  the  ocean  westward  to  the  Chitivatanga  Mountains, 
which  are  a  continuation  of  the  Drakenbergs,  Umzila  is  king. 

The  Zambesi,  which  forms  the  northern  border,  is  the  fourth 
of  the  great  rivers  of  Africa ;  it  may  be  compared  to  the  Missis¬ 
sippi  as  to  the  area  it  drains  and  the  volume  of  water  it  dis¬ 
charges.  It  has  its  spring  heads  a  little  eastward  of  Bihe, 
scarcely  more  than  three  hundred  miles  from  the  Atlantic,  while 
it  empties  into  the  Indian  Ocean  opposite  Madagascar.  The 
Scotch  missions  at  Livingstonia  and  Blantyre  are  approached 
through  the  mouth  of  the  Zambesi,  and,  with  the  Universities’ 
missions  are  to  occupy  the  country  north  of  the  lower  portion 
of  the  river.  South  of  it,  for  some  six  hundred  miles,  half  way 
to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  the  country  is  under  native  heathen 
despotisms.  Natal,  the  most  northern  English  colony,  bor¬ 
ders  on  Zulu  land,  and  a  short  distance  beyond  is  this  Gasa 
country  of  Umzila;  it  constitutes  one  of  the  great  Zulu-Kafir 
kingdoms  of  which  those  of  Mosilikatse,  or  Umseligazi,  and 
Cetywayo  are  better  known. 

who  is  UMZILA? 

Fifty  or  sixty  years  ago  a  Zulu  chief  named  ’Cnaba  was 
driven  out  of  his  country  by  Chaka,  “  the  great  Napoleon  of  the 
Zulu  supremacy.”  ’Cnaba  crossed  the  Limpopo  river,  expelled 
the  Portuguese  from  their  settlements  in  the  interior  of  Sofala, 
conquered  the  natives  up  to  the  Zambesi  and  established  his 
capital  in  the  salubrious  highlands  a  hundred  miles  from  the 
coast.  Not  long  after,  one  of  Chaka’s  generals  named  Mani- 
kusa,  or  Manikoos,  was  despatched  to  conquer  the  Portuguese 
at  Delagoa  Bay.  Manikusa  found  the  assegais  of  his  Zulus  no 
match  for  the  powder  and  ball  of  the  Europeans,  and  he  retreated. 
Knowing  that  death  awaited  him  if  he  returned  home  defeated, 
he  ran  away  with  his  army  into  the  Gasa  country,  overthrew 


What  is  Known  of  the  Country. 


5 


’Cnaba  and  took  possession  of  the  kingdom  for  himself.  Umzila 
is  the  son  of  Manikusa,  and  reigns  with  the  despotic  authority  of 
the  Kafir  kings.  The  country  seems  to  be  in  a  condition  such 
as  Zulu  land  was  under  Dingaan,  Chaka’s  successor,  when  our 
missionaries  reached  Natal  in  1835.  Umzila  and  his  Zulu 
Indunas,  or  sub-chiefs,  hold  in  subjection  the  native  tribes  which 
’Cnaba  conquered. 

WHAT  IS  KNOWN  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 

The  Portuguese,  three  hundred  years  ago,  were  well  ac¬ 
quainted  with  it.  There  is  an  account  of  this  region  by  Father 
de  Santos,  a  Dominican  monk,  translated  in  Pinkerton’s  Voy¬ 
ages.1  The  Jesuits  had  a  mission  station  on  Mount  Gorongoso, 
“famed  for  its  clear  cold  water  and  healthiness,”  and  there  are 
inscriptions  on  large  square  slabs  on  the  top  of  the  mountain, 
attributed  to  these  fathers.2  Gorongoso  lies  near  Sofala,  sup¬ 
posed  once  to  be  the  Ophir  of  Solomon,  and  the  gold  mines  of 
Manica,  which  formerly  yielded  immense  treasurer 

In  modern  times  this  region  has  remained  scarcely  visited  by 
hunters,  traders,  or  missionaries.  In  1871  Carl  Mauch  came 
into  the  northern  portion  of  it  from  the  west  and  discovered 
ruins  at  Zimbaoe,  which  is  not  far  from  Umzila’s  kraal,  and  gave 
glowing  accounts  of  gold  mines  to  be  opened.  The  same  year, 
St.  Vincent  Erskine,  an  envoy  of  the  colonial  government,  visited 
Umzila  on  his  invitation.  Subsequently  Mr.  Erskine  made  three 
journeys  to  the  king,  taking  different  routes,  and  thus  became 
better  acquainted  with  the  country  than  any  European.  Mr. 

/ 

1  A  general  collection  of  the  best  and  most  interesting  voyages  and 
travels  in  all  parts  of  the  world ;  many  of  which  are  now  first  translated  into 
English.  Digested  on  a  new  plan.  By  John  Pinkerton,  author  of  Modern 
Geography,  etc.,  etc.  Illustrated  with  plates.  Vol.  XVI.  London:  Long¬ 
man,  etc.,  1814,  4to,  pp.  917.  Africa :  History  of  Eastern  Ethiopia,  origi¬ 
nally  written  in  the  Portuguese  language  by  the  Rev.  Father  Joans  dos 
Santos,  of  the  Order  of  St.  Domingo,  and  published  at  Paris  in  the  year  1684. 

2  Livingstone’s  Travels  and  Researches  in  South  Africa,  ch.  32.  Narra¬ 
tive  of  an  Expedition  to  the  Zambesi,  ch.  x. 


6 


Umzila's  Kingdom. 


Dubois,  and  later  Mr.  Benningfield,  a  colonial  gentleman,  accom¬ 
panied  Mr.  Erskine.  From  Natal  the  first  time  he  proceeded  to 
Delagoa  Bay,  and  explored  the  region  around  the  Limpopo  River 
and  thence  to  Inhambane  Bay ;  from  here  he  passed  up  the 
coast  till  he  struck  the  Sabi  River,  and  so  onward  to  the  rugged 
hights  where  Umzila  resides.  He  returned  by  an  inland  route 
across  the  mountains  to  Lydenberg  in  the  Transvaal.  In  his 
later  journeys,  which  were  for  hunting  and  trading,  he  went  seven 
or  eight  hundred  miles  by  sea  from  Natal  to  Chuluwan  Island  or 
Chiluana,  which  is  not  far  below  Sofala,  and  from  there  he  easily 
reached  Umzila’s  capital,  distant  only  one  hundred  and  forty 
miles.  In  the  journals  of  the  Royal  Geographical  Society, 
1875,  vol.  xlv,  pp.  45-128;  1878,  vol.  xlviii,  pp.  25-57,  the  nar¬ 
ratives  of  Mr.  Erskine’s  explorations  cover  more  than  a  hun¬ 
dred  octavo  pages. 


PHYSICAL  FEATURES. 

The  immediate  seaboard  has  little  that  is  attractive,  except 
at  the  mouths  of  the  rivers  and  in  the  bays,  which  are  more  nu¬ 
merous  and  afford  better  harbors  than  down  the  English  coast. 
Going  north  from  Natal,  three  hundred  miles  northeast  of  Dur¬ 
ban,  the  town  of  Lourenzo  Marquez,  which  is  on  Delagoa  Bay, 
the  southern  point  of  the  Portuguese,  is  described  as  a  “  mass  of 
grass  huts,  reed  fences,  decayed  forts,  small  proportion  of  Euro¬ 
peans,  and  large  of  half-castes,  Banyans,  Mussulmans,  Brahmins, 
Tongas,  slaves  and  freedmen,  sand  dunes,  narrow  streets,  flat- 
roofed  houses,  cocoa-nut  trees,  and  stench,  enclosed  by  a  wall 
about  six  feet  high,  recently  erected  and  protected  by  bastions, 
at  intervals  mounting  heavy  guns.”  Though  very  unhealthy,  the 
magnificent  harbor  gives  it  great  importance.  Its  population  of 
twenty-six  hundred  has  recently  been  increased  by  colonists  and 
artisans  sent  from  Portugal  to  recruit  its  strength. 

Inhambane  Bay,  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  Delagoa 
Bay,  is  a  fine  sheet  of  water  twenty  miles  long  and  three  or  four 
broad,  surrounded  by  cocoa-nut  palms.  The  town  is  of  some  con¬ 
sideration,  built  upon  a  hog-backed  hill,  almost  surrounded  by 


Physical  Features. 


7 


the  sea  at  high  tide.  There  are  a  number  of  European  traders, 
Portuguese  and  French,  and  a  higher  tone  of  society  prevails  than 
in  some  other  coast  towns.  Since  the  extinction  of  the  slave- 
trade,  legitimate  commerce  has  inaugurated  a  new  era  and  the 
place  is  rapidly  rising.  A  large  church  and  a  mosque  are  notable 
landmarks.  The  population  is  given  as  six  thousand  and  five 
hundred. 

About  two  hundred  miles  north  of  Inhambane  and  a  less  dis¬ 
tance  south  of  the  Zambesi  is  Chiluana  or  Chuluwan,  a  low  island 
nine  miles  long  with  a  wide  channel  between  it  and  the  main 
land.  It  faces  the  delta  of  the  river  Sabi.  The  town  in  1873 
contained  “about  eighteen  Europeans  and  four  thousand  Arabs, 
Moors,  half-castes  and  natives.  There  are  two  French  mer¬ 
chants.  There  is  no  place  of  public  accommodation.  The  cli¬ 
mate  is  cool  and  pleasant  in  the  winter  season.” 

Sofala  Bay,  forty  miles  north  of  Chiluana,  is  a  fine  natural 
harbor  near  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Sofala  River,  and  the  town  is 
reported  to  have  a  population  of  two  thousand.1  Several  large 
rivers  which  rise  in  Umzila’s  highlands  and  mountains,  the  Sabi, 
the  Gorongosi,  the  Busi,  reach  the  ocean  very  near  Sofala  and 
Chiluana,  and  from  these  places  is  the  natural  and  easy  ap¬ 
proach  into  the  healthy  and  fertile  uplands. 

For  a  breadth  of  from  seventy  to  eighty  miles  from  the  sea 
the  country  is  a  low  plain,  with  numerous  valleys  cutting  through 
the  limestone  rocks  and  giving  passage  to  broad  streams  which 
are  shallow  in  the  dry  season  and  swollen  with  turbid  floods 
after  the  rains.  Scrub  bushes  and  coarse  grasses  form  the  veg¬ 
etation,  except  in  the  river  valleys.  Like  the  Mrima  on  the  Zam¬ 
besi,  Mozambique,  and  Zanzibar  coasts,  this  sea-coast  is  un¬ 
healthy.  Back  of  it  the  country  rises  into  highlands  and  into 
mountains  of  four  thousand  and  of  four  thousand  five  hundred 
feet  elevation.  The  mountain  streams  are  wild,  the  scenery  is 
picturesque,  and  “the  climate  is  as  delightful  as  that  of  Ma¬ 
deira.”  Umzila’s  kraal  lies  back  of  lofty  peaks  on  a  table-land 

1  “Sofala  signifies  in  Arabic  a  plain,  or  low  country.”  Baines’s  Gold 
Regions  of  Southeastern  Africa,  Preface. 


8 


Umzild’s  Kingdom. 


of  three  thousand  two  hundred  feet  elevation.  The  heights  are 
richly  wooded.  The  vine  grows,  and  wheat.  In  sheltered  val¬ 
leys  tropical  fruits  abound. 

THE  NEIGHBORHOOD  OF  UMZILA’S  CAPITAL. 

Following  an  affluent  of  the  Busi,  says  Mr.  Erskine,  —  whose 
narrative  we  condense,  preserving  his  own  language  —  he 
passed  through  a  fertile  and  well  inhabited  country.  A  stony 
ridge  was  ascended ;  the  barometer  indicated  fifteen  hundred 
feet  above  the  sea.  The  view  from  the  western  slope  was  one  of 
the  finest  he  had  seen.  Due  west  the  valley  seemed  to  open  out 
into  the  plain.  To  the  north,  abrupt,  wooded  mountains  cap¬ 
ping  each  other  were  visible,  until  closed  in  by  the  grass-clad 
Sissungambili  crowned  with  timber.  Turning  to  the  east,  the 
ridges  appeared  to  end  abruptly  in  a  densely  wooded  canon, 
which  debouched  into  the  Busi,  whose  wooded  banks  seemed 
to  close  the  view.  Beneath,  the  valley  of  the  Umswelisi  lay 
rolled  out  like  a  picture,  with  its  meandering  waters  fringed  by 
evergreen  trees  ;  and  it  looked  smiling  and  peaceful  in  the  check¬ 
ered  frame.  This  valley  of  the  Umswelisi  seems  destined  some 
day  to  be  one  of  the  most  productive  spots  on  this  side  of  the 
continent.  Sugar  and  coffee  would  succeed  admirablv  here  ;  and 
from  its  elevated  position  he  believes  it  will  be  found  quite  healthy. 
The  Mandowa  tribe,  which  inhabits  all  the  hill  country  and  the 
plains  as  far  as  Sofala,  appears  at  one  time  to  have  been  very 
powerful,  though  it  submitted  without  fighting  to  the  Zulu  chief 
’Cnaba.  The  Umswelisi  is  a  fine,  clear  stream,  flowing  over  a 
rocky  bed  of  porphyry  and  basalt.  The  flow  of  water  would  be 
sufficient  to  irrigate  this  great  and  fertile  flat  and  to  turn  mills. 
The  path  over  the  range  is  eighteen  hundred  feet  above  the  sea. 
Descending  four  hundred  feet,  he  crossed  the  Shinike  River? 
also  a  strong,  rocky  stream,  waist  deep,  and  ascended  the  rise 
on  the  opposite  side.  Here  he  found  kraals,  and  cultivations 
of  bananas,  gingenelly  and  cereal  crops,  all  in  the  highest  state 
of  productiveness.  Passing  two  more  streams,  he  ascended  to 
a  valley-like  plateau,  and  stopped  at  Makuan’s  kraal,  in  the 


The  Neighborhood  of  Uvizila's  Capital. 


9 


Gwingi  district.  From  this  kraal,  two  thousand  feet  above  the 
sea,  three  timber-clad  peaks  were  seen  to  the  west,  called  Urobi, 
Sissungambili  and  Silindi.  Behind  the  latter  lay  Umzila’s  kraal, 
called  Tshamatshama  or  Nodwengu,  situated  at  the  sources  of 
the  Umswelisi.  The  most  elevated  plateau  was  now  reached, 
ranging  between  thirty-three  and  thirty-six  hundred  feet  above 
the  sea.  ■ 

On  his  fourth  visit,  Mr.  Erskine  found  Umzila  in  a  new 
kraal,  a  little  south,  called  Utshani-Udi. 

One  thing  that  disagreeably  impresses  the  traveler  is  the  size 
and  hight  of  the  grass  growing  on  the  slopes.  So  high,  in  fact, 
is  it  that  no  view  can  ever  be  obtained  of  the  country,  and  it 
forms  quite  an  arched  way  under  which  you  pass  along,  opening 
a  path  with  your  stick  and  hands.  The  grass  seeds,  like  jave¬ 
lins,  descend  in  showers  and  fill  your  clothes  until  you  are  nearly 
driven  mad  with  the  itching,  and  blinded  as  well.  You  cannot 
walk  through  it  until  ten  o’clock  without  getting  as  wet  as  if  you 
had  been  through  a  river,  the  dews  are  so  heavy. 

To  say  this  country  around  Umzila’s  kraal  is  full  of  interest 
is  but  expressing  a  tame  opinion  of  its  geographical  and  geolog¬ 
ical  features.  Mr.  Erskine  considers  this  peculiar  basin  of  moun¬ 
tains,  as  forming  the  source  of  the  Busi,  one  of  the  most  interest¬ 
ing  problems  of  modern  geography.  By  its  proper  exploration 
a  knowledge  will  be  obtained  of  vast  regions  of  healthy  country 
closely  adjoining  the  port  of  Sofala.  If  the  streams  descended 
to  the  plains  in  a  direct  course,  it  would  be  impossible  to  ascend 
this  plateau  without  gigantic  road-works.  But  these  affluents  of 
the  Lusiti  run  north,  and  descend  so  gradually  that  even  rail¬ 
way  works  could  be  successfully  carried  up  them  as  far  as  Um¬ 
zila’s  kraal  and  the  highest  points  of  the  plateau. 

HOW  TO  REACH  TSHAMATSHAMA. 

Tshamatshama,  the  king’s  residence,  is  in  latitude  20°  23' s, 
and  longitude  320  30'  e  ;  the  elevation  is  thirty-two  hundred  feet 
above  the  sea.  In  a  bee  line  it  is  distant  from  Lydenberg  about 
three  hundred  and  forty-five  miles ;  from  Zoutpansberg,  one 


10 


Umzila's  Kingdom. 


hundred  and  seventy-four  miles ;  from  Matabili’s — LoBenguela’s— 
kraal,  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles  ;  from  Cape  Town,  eleven 
hundred  and  ninety  miles;  from  Durban,  five  hundred  and  eighty 
miles  ;  from  Delagoa  Bay,  three  hundred  and  thirty-five  miles  ; 
^from  Inhambane,  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles ;  from  Chiluana, 
one  hundred  and  forty  miles ;  from  Sofala,  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  miles;  from  Quillimane,  three  hundred  miles ;  from 
Senna,  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  ;  from  Tete,  two  hundred 
and  sixty  miles.  The  two  nearest  points,  Sofala  and  Chiluana, 
which  can  be  reached  by  steamers,  also  afford  the  greatest  facil¬ 
ity  of  approach  in  every  way  and  with  less  physical  difficulty  than 
any  other.  The  bar  at  Sofala  is  a  great  obstruction  to  the  port. 
It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  all  domestic  animals  die  from 
some  mysterious  poison  taken  in  on  the  bushy  plains;  though 
only  a  small  percentage  of  donkeys  are  lost.  Camels  and  elephants 
have  not  been  tried.  The  low  country  is  healthy  during  July, 
August,  September,  and  October,  so  that  Europeans  can  traverse 
them  in  these  months.  Chiluana  is  a  safe  and  convenient  harbor, 
and  offers  water  way  some  distance  into  the  interior,  where  the 
country  is  open  and  free  from  swamps,  and  is  altogether  a  very 
desirable  point  d'appui.  Large  running  streams  can  be  fol¬ 
lowed  quite  up  to  the  mountains.  Wood  is  sometimes  too  plenti¬ 
ful,  though  the  dense  bushes  could  be  avoided,  and  the  route 
taken  through  park-like  country.  There  is  no  scarcity  of  grass, 
so  that  fodder  need  not  be  carried.  In  fact,  a  country  more 
adapted  to  Europeans  could  scarcely  be  found  ;  and  when  once  on 
the  pleateau  there  is  a  climate  superior  to  that  of  Europe.  The 
fever,  which  prevails  at  Inhambane  and  at  all  the  other  towns  on 
the  east  coast  north  of  the  27th  parallel  of  south  latitude,  does 
not  extend  beyond  the  foot  of  the  mountain  steeps.  These  plat¬ 
eaux  of  Africa  are  (at  all  events  in  the  southern  parts)  gener¬ 
ally  as  healthy  as  Madeira. 

Mr.  Erskine  left  Natal  June  25,  1871,  and  reached  Lyden- 
berg  on  his  return  September  29,  1872,  so  that  he  was  in  the 
country  fourteen  months,  and  saw  it  in  all  the  seasons.  On  his 
third  journey  he  left  Natal  May  12,  1873,  in  a  sailing  vessel, 


How  to  Reach  Umzila' s  Kraal. 


1 1 

reached  Chiluana  July  30,  and  started  for  Umzila’s  kraal  at* 
Tshamatshama,  one  hundred  and  forty  miles  in  a  direct  line. 

The  route  which  he  traversed  is  a  very  important  track,  as  it 
is  one  of  the  main  roads  from  the  unhealthy  and  sterile  districts 
of  the  coast  to  the  salubrious  and  fertile  mountain  regions  of 
the  interior.  His  allusion  to  the  sterile  coast  districts  must,  how¬ 
ever,  he  says,  be  understood  to  be  restricted  to  the  flat,  sandy, 
brush-covered  plains  which  spread  outside  of  the  alluvial  deposits 
of  the  Sabi  and  other  streams;  tracts  that  are  themselves  fertile 
even  near  to  the  sea-board. 

The  mouth  of  the  Sabi  is  a  few  hours’  sail  to  the  south  of 
Chiluana,  with  a  dangerous  bar ;  but  a  large  accessible  creek, 
called  Maluli,  runs  up  into  the  delta  opposite  the  island,  and  he 
entered  this  creek,  which  has  several  lateral  communications 
with  the  Sabi.  Having  placed  his  goods  in  store,  he  sent  off  a 
messenger  to  Nonxanga,  a  Zulu  sub-chief  of  Umzila  in  charge 
of  this  territory,  to  ask  for  porters  to  his  place,  and  then  found 
amusement  in  hunting  antelopes  and  guinea-fowls.  The  natives, 
he  declares,  are  not  a  pleasant  race  to  live  amongst.  The  Umgo- 
nis,  or  Zulu  section  of  the  community,  are  completely  the  mas¬ 
ters  of  the  Portuguese ;  they  are  indolent  in  the  extreme,  and 
subsist  mainly  by  robbing  the  Tongas. 

On  the  10th  of  September  he  received  four  donkeys  that  had 
been  twenty  days  on  the  road  from  Inhambane.  On  the  18th  he 
sent  off  fifty  loads  of  merchandise,  and  on  the  21st  started  him¬ 
self  for  Umzila’s.  He  had  seventeen  carriers  and  thirty  hunters 
in  his  party.  One  of  his  donkeys  was  killed  by  a  hyena,  and  a 
second  was  not  in  a  fit  state  to  ride ;  but  the  remaining  two  ren¬ 
dered  him  inestimable  service,  and,  in  reality,  carried  him  to 
Umzila’s  and  back.  They  beat  the  natives  on  the  march  because 
they  do  not  need  the  same  amount  of  rest.  He  attributes  his 
almost  entire  immunity  from  fever  and  illness  upon  this  journey  to 
the  fact  that  his  donkeys  saved  him  from  exhaustive  exertion  in 
the  great  heat.  On  his  fourth  journey  Mr.  Erskine  also  used 
donkeys,  and  with  equal  satisfaction.  The  donkey  requires  very 
careful  handling  in  the  matter  of  equipment,  as  he  readily  chafes. 


12 


Umzila's  Kingdom. 


The  crupper,  breast-plate,  girths,  and  haunch-straps  should  all  be 
cased  in  sheep-skin,  and  a  pad  rather  than  a  pack-saddle  should 
be  adopted. 

“On  this  journey  I  found  that  there  is  only  one  possible  way 
in  which  the  native  Tongas  can  be  dealt  with.  On  arriving  at  a 
kraal,  I  always  demanded  what  I  required  and  took  what  I 
wanted,  and  then  gave  them  an  equivalent  present  when  I  left. 
I  failed  entirely  to  get  necessary  supplies  by  any  attempt  at  an 
open  bargain  and  purchase.  I  limited  my  progress  to  about 
twelve  miles  per  day,  because  I  found  that  when  I  exceeded  this 
distance  I  could  not  get  my  men  in  by  nightfall.” 

After  crossing  the  Sabi  River,  October  4,  he  passed  through 
a  district  inhabited  by  the  Hlenga  (pronounced  Thlenga )  tribe? 
an  offshoot  of  the  great  Makololo  race.  The  Tongas  of  the 
district  are  properly  Mandowas  or  Umyi.  He  here  entered  a 
country  of  open  woods  and  grass,  resplendent  in  this  mid-spring 
season  with  verdure.  The  trees  were  laden  with  flowers,  which 
filled  the  air  with  strong  perfume.  The  most  powerful  fragrance 
came  from  the  insignificant  flowers  of  a  kind  of  vine  called  the 
Umtshanjowa,  which  bears  an  edible  fruit,  that  is  made  by  the 
natives  into  a  blood-red  wine.  He  soon  after  crossed  the  Upipa 
River,  an  affluent  of  the  Gorongosi,  and  then  traversed  an  open 
grassy  country,  bearing  ivory  palms  and  abounding  in  game. 
His  next  stopping-place  was  the  kraal  of  Ishoppa,  an  old  friend, 
who  gave  him  a  cordial  welcome,  and  feasted  him  with  goat’s  flesh, 
corn,  and  Kafir  beer.  When  he  went  on  from  this  place,  after  a 
full  day’s  rest,  Ishoppa  sent  on  fifteen  women  with  water-pots 
for  his  use,  as  he  had  some  distance  to  traverse  where  there 
was  no  water. 

Thus  far  the  track  had  been  quite  accessible  for  wagons,  but 
beyond  this  no  wagon  could  have  passed.  The  country  was  now 
a  succession  of  hills,  valleys  and  streams.  At  Umkontwain  he 
came  to  the  kraal  of  Kater,  a  brother  of  Umzila,  and  was  hos¬ 
pitably  entertained.  On  the  16th  of  October,  Umzila’s  Indunas 
came  down  to  him  with  an  invitation  to  visit  the  king.  On  the 
following  day  Mr.  Erskine  found  him  at  one  of  the  royal  gardens, 


How  to  Reach  Umzila' s  Kraal.  13 

where  he  was  celebrating  the  opening  of  the  hunting  season  by 
a  kind  of  public  ceremonial.  He  gave  him  a  friendly  reception, 
and  proposed  that  he  should  bring  up  his  goods  to  the  kraal. 
Mr.  Erskine  wanted  permission  to  pass  on  to  Umsiligasi’s  (Mos- 
ilikatsi’s)  territory,  but  found  there  was  war,  and  that  Umzila 
was  jealous  and  adverse  to  any  trade  communication  passing  on. 
Umzila  avowedly  aims  at  keeping  the  gold  produce  of  Manica 
to  himself.  He  refused  permission  to  visit  the  fields,  and  said 
that  when  his  ivory  was  done,  he  intended  to  work  them  for 
his  own  benefit.  The  climate  is  eminently  healthy  and  cool 
in  these  upper  regions,  and  well  suited  to  cattle,  and  to  the  cul¬ 
tivation  of  wheat  and  the  vine.  Cotton,  sugar,  and  coffee  also 
thrive  in  the  deeper  and  warmer  valleys.  It  is  much  to  be  re¬ 
gretted,  adds  Mr.  Erskine,  that  the  Portuguese  have  not  a  well- 
ordered  province  from  Delagoa  Bay  to  the  Zambesi,  with  its  sea- 
gate  at  Sofala.  The  Zambesi  itself  would  be  more  easily  ap¬ 
proached  in  this  course  than  along  its  own  water  channel. 

Soon  after  arriving  at  Umzila’s  place  (October  16)  the 
rainy  season  began.  The  rain  sets  in  with  a  driving  mist  from 
the  east  and  south-southeast,  which  is  shortly  followed  by  thun¬ 
der  and  lightning,  and  rain  then  falls  for  two  or  three  days. 
Northerly  and  westerly  winds  restore  the  fine  weather. 

There  are  fine  forests  of  hard  wood  on  the  slopes  of  the 
Silinda  and  Sissumyambili  mountains ;  trees  four  feet  in  diame¬ 
ter  and  sixty  feet  high,  with  trunks  as  straight  as  pines.  Ele¬ 
phants,  antelopes  and  buffaloes  abound. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  Umzila  is  by  no  means  himself  a 
powerful  chief.  His  influence  among  the  native  tribes  is  mainly 
dependent  upon  a  reputation  he  possesses  of  having  some  pow¬ 
erful  wizards  in  his  service,  who  fight  with  diseases  and  the  ele¬ 
ments  instead  of  with  arms.  He  is  very  much  feared  by  the 
surrounding  chiefs  on  this  ground.  Mr.  Erskine  was  detained 
by  false  promises  and  under  various  pretenses  for  nearly  two 
months.  He  commenced  his  return  to  the  Sabi  on  the  9th  of 
December;  delaying  long  enough  to  finish  his  business,  he 
reached  Chiluana  January  22,  1874. 


i4 


Umzila’s  Kingdom. 


The  common  maps  of  this  region  are  quite  incorrect.  The 
entire  coast  abounds  in  fine  harbors,  which  contrast  singularly 
with  the  poverty  of  the  English  possessions  in  this  particular. 
An  admirable  map,  on  a  large  scale,  of  this  part  of  Africa,  ac¬ 
companies  The  Gold  Fields  of  Southeastern  Africa ,  by  Thomas 
Baines,  F.  R.  G.  S.,  issued  under  the  supervision  of  Henry  Hall, 
Esq.,  F.  R.  G.  S.,  Edward  Stanford,  55  Charing-Cross,  publisher, 
November  1,  1876. 


THE  NATIVE  POPULATION. 

Near  to  the  Portuguese  frontier  in  the  approach  toward  In- 
hambane,  Mr.  Erskine  made  the  acquaintance  of  a  people  known 
as  the  “  Marongwes,”  whom  he  distinguished  unconditionally  as 
the  finest  race  he  had  any  communication  with.  They  are  of 
the  same  blood  as  the  Chobis,  Mandandas  and  Mashongonini, 
and  bear  a  somewhat  marked  resemblance  to  the  Basutos.  They 
are  armed  with  strong,  six-feet  bows,  are  very  brave,  and  are 
,  reputed  to  have  great  skill  in  bush-fighting.  They  live  in  dense 
communities,  and  clear  and  plant  large  stretches  of  ground, 
sometimes  exceeding  a  hundred  acres  in  extent,  which  are  culti¬ 
vated  in  common,  with  the  families  of  the  cultivators  scattered 
around  the  margin  of  the  clearing  in  separate  kraals.  The  coun¬ 
try  was  thickly  inhabited,  and  abounded  in  fowls,  corn,  beer  and 
honey;  in  some  places  these  people  possess  cocoa-nut  palms, 
the  sugar  cane  and  bananas,  and  distil  ardent  spirits  with  stills 
of  native  manufacture.  Gigantic  specimens  of  baobab  trees 
abound,  covered  by  castana-nut  creepers,  which  are  festooned 
to  the  ground  and  form  magnificent  canopies,  impervious  to  the 
sun’s  rays.  Mr.  Erskine  dwells  quite  admiringly  upon  the  inter¬ 
esting  scenery  produced  by  the  thriving  gardens  of  this  industri¬ 
ous  race,  ornamented  and  interspersed  with  the  magnificent  can¬ 
opies  of  foliage. 

The  Mandowa  race,  which  occupies  the  hill  country  of  So- 
fala,  is  said  to  be  a  branch  of  the  Makalala  tribe.  It  submitted 
to  the  Zulus,  without  fighting,  at  the  time  of  the  invasion  of 


The  Native  Population. 


15 


’Cnaba,  and  has  since  remained  tributary  to  Umzila,  by  whose 
father  ’Cnaba  was  dispossessed.  Their  own  hereditary  chief, 
Umgapi,  still  dwells  on  the  Umkini  River,  some  distance  toward 
the  north.  The  southwestern  frontier  of  the  supremacy  of  the 
Zulu  chief  Umzila  is  now  at  the  commencement  of  Manhlin,  in 
220  50'  s.  All  the  tribes  within  this  frontier,  whether  Chobi, 
Basiga,  Bila-Kulu,  Mandanda,  or  Mandowa,  are  classed  together 
as  Tongas,  although  severally  of  different  blood  and  origin ;  that 
designation  is  simply  the  general  title  of  contempt  for  the  sub¬ 
ject  tribes  which  has  been  applied  to  them  by  their  Zulu  con¬ 
querors,  who  in  their  turn  are  distinguished  throughout  this  dis¬ 
trict  as  Umgonis. 

How  numerous  the  Zulus  proper  are  in  Umzila’s  Kingdom, 
is  not  known.  Along  the  south  bank  of  the  Zambesi,  between 
Gorongoso  and  Senna,  they  are  called  Landeens,  and  are  not  in 
very  good  odor.  Precisely  where  mission  work  shall  be  com¬ 
menced,  except  that  it  will  be  in  the  healthy  highlands,  and 
among  what  particular  tribes,  the  visit  of  the  pioneer  company  is 
to  determine.  Mr.  Reuben  Benningfield,  who  knows  the  people 
well,  gives  hearty  encouragement  to  the  mission.  As  long  ago 
as  1876,  our  brethren  at  Natal,  at  their  annual  mission  meeting, 
reported:  “It  maybe  a  subject  for  wise  reflection  whether  we 
ought  not  to  shape  our  efforts  and  lay  our  plans  to  commence 
soon  an  initiatory  work  among  Umzila’s  people,  or  some  other 
tribe  speaking  the  Zulu  language,  a  thousand  miles  or  so  north¬ 
ward,  with  the  ultimate  design  of  concentrating  our  labors  out¬ 
side  of,  rather  than  in,  Natal.”  In  a  letter  received  last  year, 
Rev.  Josiah  Tyler  writes:  “Mr.  Benningfield  was  emphatic  in 
his  assertion  that  he  could  see  no  reason  why  judicious  mission¬ 
aries  might  not  be  successful  in  Umzila’s  territory,  and  even 
went  so  far  as  to  say  that  he  was  willing  to  accompany  a  band  of 
missionaries  personally  and  introduce  them  to  the  king.  He 
confirmed  the  opinion  I  gathered  some  years  ago  from  Mr.  St. 
Vincent  Erskine,  that  the  climate  of  Umzila’s  country  inland  is 
healthy.  Evidently  the  way  to  go  to  that  field  is  by  steamer  to 


i6 


Umzila' s  Kingdom. 


Chiluana ;  then,  as  Mr.  Benningfield  suggests,  notice  should  be 
sent  to  the  chief,  in  accordance  with  the  laws  of  the  country. 
Married  men  should  go  first  alone,  prepare  accommodations,  and 
then  return  to  Natal  for  their  wives.  Here  would  be  the  place 
for  them  to  take  their  first  lessons  in  the  language,  for  Umzila 
and  all  his  people  are  pure  Zulus ;  all  our  books  will  answer  for 
them.  Mr.  Benningfield  told  me  they  would  be  in  no  danger 
from  the  people.  The  risk  to  life,  as  you  will  infer  from  what  I 
have  said,  would  be  small,  if  the  entrance  to  the  country  is 
effected  in  winter,  and  the  place  of  residence  is  fixed  inland.” 


BEACON  PRESS:  THOMAS  TODD,  PRINTER] 


CONGREGATIONAL  HOUSE, 


BOSTON. 


